Alasdair Gold has admitted that some believe reported transfer target Pedro Porro may not be physically good enough for Tottenham Hotspur and Antonio Conte.
It’s no secret that the role of a wing-back under Conte is one of the most important jobs in the Italian’s sides, and already signing two during his tenure only highlights this even more, so there should be no surprise to see Spurs linked with more players in those positions.
Porro, who played against Spurs twice in the Champions League earlier this season for Sporting, is someone who is thought to be wanted by Conte, according to Correio de Manha (via The Express) – although not everyone appears to be convinced by his physical attributes, according to Gold.
The Spaniard is only 5ft 7in, so not a dominant force like Ivan Perisic – which is what Gold thinks could count against him, as he spoke on the Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham podcast.
He said: “The only thing I would say, I have heard a couple of murmurs that there’s some doubt over whether, physically, he fits the mould of a Conte wing-back. I think he’s 5ft 7in; I don’t think he’s a big guy, and obviously, you look at the kind of players Conte normally plays in the wing-back roles and they are quite big, tough players. Perisic is a good example of one he’s used in the past.”
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TIF Thoughts on interest in Porro…
It still appears to be a bit of a mystery in terms of the players Conte truly wants at wing-back given that Djed Spence can’t get a look-in despite being physically more of a presence than someone far more trusted than Ryan Sessegnon based on their height.
Porro is still very young being just 23 years old, so he would have time on his side to develop and adapt to the physicality of the Premier League, and the fact he managed to help Sporting keep two clean sheets in the Champions League would suggest he could well be good enough.
While the positions Spurs wish to improve in January remain to be seen, it does seem obvious that Conte is desperate for signings given he’s talked about how he needs a few windows to get his squad up to the standards required if they wish to compete.